Louis Latour Agencies

Champagne Gosset and Malolactic Fermentation

12 June 2018

The natural avoidance of malolactic fermentation is one of the key characteristics of Gosset’s champagnes and sets them apart from the majority of their peers in Champagne.

The Champagne region lies in North-Eastern France where the extremes of weather and the region’s famous chalk soils combine to produce wines with vibrancy, minerality and thrilling acidity.  Gosset sources its grapes from a range of growers, many of whom have worked with the house for multiple generations, located primarily in premier and grand crus surrounding Ay and Epernay.

These elements are central to Gosset’s terroir-focused winemaking style and cellar master Odilon de Varine’s desire to make wines where process does not mask the character of each Cru; giving himself a wide variety of ‘colours’ to work with when blending each cuvée.

Champagne Gosset’s focus is on non-vintage wines which are capable of long-term ageing. It is the high quality of their base wines and retention of the natural malic acid which help to bring vitality and freshness to all of Gosset’s wines even after many years of ageing. Every bottle of Gosset presented in their unique antique shaped bottle has been made in this way.

Naturally since Gosset do not use artificial means to prevent malolactic fermentation some tanks sometimes go through malolactic fermentation, the process by which a second fermentation takes place, transforming the malic acid to the softer lactic acid. These wines are used to produce Gosset Brut Excellence and the new on-trade exclusive cuvée Gosset Extra Brut. These champagnes are lighter, more fruit-driven wines and are more approachable in relative youth.